| Cnemaspis gunawardanai | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Infraorder: | Gekkota |
| Family: | Gekkonidae |
| Genus: | Cnemaspis |
| Species: | C. gunawardanai |
| Binomial name | |
| Cnemaspis gunawardanai Amarasinghe, Karunarathna, Madawala & De Silva, 2021 | |
Cnemaspis gunawardanai, or Gunawardana's day gecko, is a species of diurnal rupicolous gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka. [1]
The species is closely resembling C. rajakarunai, C. hitihamii, and other congeners of the alwisi group. [2] [3]
The specific name gunawardanai is named in honor of Dr. Jagath Gunawardana. [4] He is a leading environmental activist, conservationist, and a lawyer contributed to popularizing environmental laws among the general public. [1] [5]
An adult male is 37.4 mm long. Dorsum homogeneous with keeled granular scales. There are four spine-like tubercles on flanks. Dorsum patterned with creamy and yellowish vertebral markings on a uniform dark brown background. Snout is light brown. There is a black spot on the neck. A a vertebral cream stripe shading visible posteriorly. Arms and legs uniform dark brown with pale and dark blotches. Tail is dark brown with six pale yellow markings. [1]
The gecko found only from two localities: Pilikuttuwa and Maligatenna, Gampaha district. [6] Entirely wild species, it is commonly inhabited in dry, shaded, cool surfaces of rock outcrops inside caves. [7] The researchers suggested critically endangered IUCN category for the species due to regional endemism. [3]
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